As the Nanchang Uprising in 1927 is distinctively recognized by the ruling Communist Party as "firing the first gunshot against the Nationalists",[4] the current government has therefore named the city since 1949 "the place where the People's Liberation Army was born", and the most widely known "place where the military banner of the People's Liberation Army was first raised".

The territories encompassing modern-day Jiangxi Province—including Nanchang—was first incorporated into China during the Qin dynasty, when it was conquered from the Baiyue peoples and organized as Jiujiang Commandery (Chinese: 九江郡).

[6] In AD 589, during the Sui dynasty, this commandery was changed into a prefecture named Hongzhou (洪州), and after 763 it became the provincial center of Jiangxi, which was then beginning the rapid growth that by the 12th century made it the most populous province in China.

In 653 the Tengwang Pavilion was constructed, and in 675 Wang Bo wrote the classic "Tengwang Ge Xu", a poetic introductory masterpiece celebrating the building, making the building, the city, and the author himself known to literate Chinese-speaking population ever since.

At the end of the Yuan (Mongol) period (1279–1368), it became a battleground between Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and the rival local warlord, Chen Youliang.

At the beginning of the 16th century it was the power base from which Zhu Chenhao, the Prince of Ning, launched a rebellion against the emperor.

[10] During the reign of the Wanli Emperor of the Ming dynasty, it housed relatives of the emperor who had been exiled because they were potential claimants of the imperial throne, members of the imperial family constituting about one quarter of the city's population; as a result of this, Matteo Ricci came here when trying to gain entry to Beijing.

[11] In the 1850s it suffered considerably as a result of the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64), and its importance as a commercial centre declined as the overland routes to Canton were replaced by coastal steamship services in the latter half of the 19th century.

The Nanchang Uprising, led by pro-communist Kuomintang officers under Soviet direction, succeeded in holding the city for only a few days, and provided a core of troops and a method of organization from which the People's Liberation Army (PLA) later developed.

[12][13][14] By 1949, Nanchang was still essentially an old-style administrative and commercial city, with little industry apart from food processing; it had a population of about 275,000.

After World War II a line was completed to Linchuan and Gongqi in the Ru River Valley to the south-southeast.

A machinery industry also grew up, at first mainly concentrating on the production of agricultural equipment and diesel engines.

Nanchang then became a minor centre of the automotive industry in China, producing trucks and tractors and also accessories such as tires.

Winters are short and cool with occasional frosts; it begins somewhat sunny and dry but becomes progressively wetter and more overcast.

[20] Nanchang is a regional hub for agricultural production in Jiangxi province with its grain yield being 16.146 million tons in 2000.

[26] Nanchang has a rapid economic development and ranks 15th among the fastest growing 20 cities in the world.

It enjoys simple and convenient customs clearances, and special preferential policies both for Nanchang National Export Expressing Zone and NCHDZ.

[30] Provincial level development zones[28] Special economic district[28] Nanchang has an advantageous geographic location and convenient transportation.

[citation needed] It relies on high-speed railways and aviation hubs to connect three important economic circles (Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Inter-provincial traffic corridors in Haixi District).

Nanchang is connected to Hangzhou, Changsha and Shanghai via CRH (China Railway High-speed) service.

The airport is connected to major mainland cities such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Haikou, Shanghai and Beijing.

In order to cooperate with the construction of the Beijing-Kowloon high-speed railway and Nanchang North Station airport complex transportation hub, large-scale expansion and upgrades are being carried out recently.

The Xufang Bus Station operates routes to cities, towns and counties within Jiangxi Province.

Passengers can take Nanchang Port and travel by boat to the Jinggang Shan and Tengwang Pavilion.

5The claimed province of Taiwan no longer have any internal division announced by Ministry of Civil Affairs of PRC, due to lack of actual jurisdiction.